Professional development: Tracking progress of the Early Years Conversation Project

During my career as a leader in the early years from the 1990s to the 2020s, I started lots of initiatives feeling full of optimism – only to find several months down the line that the energy had all gone, like the fizz from a can that's been left open.

Keeping up the momentum is one of the big challenges any leader faces. So it has been fascinating for me to track the progress of the Early Years Conversation Project (EYCP) at Building Blocks Nursery over a six-month period.

Back in the autumn of 2024, I met Janet Graneau, the nursery's manager, on the first floor of the church hall where the nursery is situated in Tottenham, north London. It is a buzzing and diverse neighbourhood, challenged by high levels of child poverty. Janet was working hard with the team to put the EYCP into action, after stepping up to lead a nursery rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. By committing to a year-long programme of professional development alongside everything else that was going on, Janet showed that she was determined to do everything she could to develop practice and support the children's developing communication.